Pet
by PreciousCherryBlossums
Summary: An altered version of Collared By Love. See Author Profile.  Ryoma hates love but is suffering from a suffocation of it. Sakuno needs love but doesn't know what it is.  OOC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer that also applies to chapter from henceforth: I do not own Prince of Tennis

~CHAPTER ONE~

by

_*PreciousCherryBlossums*_

* * *

><p>It was the last thing he wanted.<p>

After the twelve hour flight, the over-excited, high-pitch squealing of fangirls grated on Ryoma's nerves more than usual. He should be used to them by now; after practically growing up his entire life with hordes of giggling, fangirling females tailing after him. He should be numb to them and their antics. He should be used to their endless proclamations of love. He should just regard or perhaps even dismiss them as just another normal aspect of his celebrity-status life….Pink sparkly love, earnest respect, wide-eyed admiration constantly surrounded the handsome, wealthy, genius tennis player.

But no.

If anything, this media-attracting life had a negative, opposite effect on Ryoma. He grew to nurture a strong disdain for fangirls, viewing them as annoying and foolish. He resented all the attention that was focused on him daily. He valued solitariness, privacy and control with a fierce passion. But most significant of all, was the fact that Ryoma grew to hate love itself.  
>In his opinion, it was suffocating and dangerous; it drove people to do crazy things. From a young age, he was exposed to the shadows that coexist with the spotlight. The cheating and lies that goes on backstage. The infidelity of famous people who are constantly surrounded by beautiful people. The blatantly lying words of smiling people who welcome you eagerly, secretly scheming how to exploit you. Random girls threw their love at him constantly…<p>

Besides, love is such a vague enigmatic emotion and Ryoma simply did not understand what was all the hype about it. All he knew was that it was a feeling that one was better off without.

The night sky was inky black, and even though he had not slept in more than eighteen hours, Ryoma did not rest. He stared fixedly out the car window, bright green eyes reflecting the street lamps as the car zoomed by. Though they have been driving for more than 45 minutes, not a word was exchanged between the stoic passenger and the driver. Ryoma wasn't one much for small talk.

Ojisan shot a glance at his young master in the rear-view mirror. For most of Ryoma's eighteen years on earth, Ojisan had been by his side and perhaps was the one who understood the most about Ryoma's particular problem.

A dimly lit park passed by and caught Ryoma's attention. "Stop the car."

Ojisan complied, quickly pulling over and slowing the car to a halt. They were still two hours away from the Echizen residence and that was too long to go without a quick tennis practice even at 1am. Ryoma slung his precious tennis bag over his shoulder and walked up the dirt pathway that lead deeper into the park. He soon disappeared over the hill, only the sound of steady steps indicating the Prince of Tennis' presence in the dark quiet night. Ojisan made himself comfortable in the car seat, taking out a silver notebook; whenever Ryoma was in a tennis court, he never left until he came back better than he was before.

And Ryoma was well on his way to getting his twist serve to twist just a bit more when they interrupted his concentration. Normally, Ryoma could ignore anyone or anything while in tennis-mode but for some reason the trio caught his attention. Maybe it was the ominous time, maybe it was the way they dressed, maybe it was words they said, or maybe it was the bag that they carried. He paused just before serving another ball, to watch the men walk by. Bright green eyes pierced into the darkness from behind the steel fences. Like a cat, he silently observed the scene with an impassive expression. Their voices drifted over like wisps of a cloud.

"You need to hurry up."

"…Hold it tighter!"

"…Won't stop…Annoying."

They looked like a typical gangster-like trio, with an obvious leader and two bulky henchmen. They were mostly moving as a unit, stepping on the patchy grass, almost blending into the darkness with their black clothes. However, Leader and Henchman 1 were a bit ahead; the other man was lagging behind. He was struggling with a rather sizable canvas bag that he was carrying over his shoulder. Ryoma saw the thin rope that tied the top, swinging in the air. Leader paused and made some gestures toward the slower man:

"….Don't let…..Already is pissed…"

Henchman 1 showed his agreement, nodding his head sharply and came over to his partner. Henchman 2 allowed the bag to drop heavily onto the ground. He tried to say something but the other man wasn't paying attention. He seemed to be in an irritated mood. "Just do this to…." Henchman 1 suddenly sharply kicked the bag which fell over in a oddly shaped pile. The sound of impact made a dull noise in the night's silence. He nudged the bag with his foot.

The two henchmen then began bickering with one another; Ryoma could see their hands gesturing wildly, words being exchanged sharply and swiftly.

"….Not supposed to….If he blames us….."

"….Is why….Always causing….fucking want to finish this…."

Leader wasn't paying attention to them. His arms were crossed and muttering something as he looked down at his watch.

The two henchman's attention were suddenly diverted downward. Ryoma cocked his head, trying to discern what exactly was happening. Henchman 1 growled angrily and reached down swiftly. He grabbed the end and roughly ripped open the top of the canvas sack. He was about to stick his hand in when Leader suddenly intervened, gripping the henchman's wrist, shooting daggers at him. Leader hissed in angry tones and then curiously enough, the underling muttered something apologetic and retracted his hand from the bag. He took gloves from his pocket and put them on. Henchman 2 did likewise. The other shot a look to the Leader who nodded dismissively, now seemingly disinterested in the proceedings. Henchman 1, having receiving permission, eagerly returned his attention to the bag. Henchman 2, rolling his eyes, held open the bag for him, jerking it upward. Henchman 1 leaned down and stuck his hands inside. The bag started thrashing about and then Henchman 1 made a large movement which made a sharp noise and then withdrew his hand from the motionless bag. Straightening up, he smirked to Henchman 2 who inclined his head in mock gratitude, "I could have done that."Henchman 1: "You're such a wimp, you have to be strong like me."

Leader growled, "You two need to stop fucking around," he turned around, "We're already late and-Who are you?" His eyes narrowed.

Ryoma stepped out of the shadows and onto the dirt pathway, directly in their way. He ignored the question, instead he idly spun his tennis racket in one hand.

"What's that?" He indicated with his chin toward the fallen bag. In response, Henchman 1 swiftly moved in front, blocking Ryoma's view of it. He glared at the boy, whose interest now was most definitely piqued. Henchman 2 quickly reached down and tightened the thin rope that shut the canvas bag shut. He heaved it over his shoulder, gripping on the bunch of fabric tightly in his thick gloved hands.

Leader scrutinized Ryoma suspiciously for a couple of seconds, eying his tall lean height. After apparently coming to the conclusion that he would be not a threat, Leader sneered dismissively, "Nothing that a tennis boy needs to care about." He started walking again but as he moved past Ryoma who was still looking forward, the latter remarked lightly, "No, I think I _am_ curious."

Leader started at his words, stopped and stared at him.

"Is this a robbery?"

Leader scowled, "Look kid, just shut up and leave-" He made to aggressively approach him but Ryoma sidestepped out of his reach and swung his racket back and brought it in with crushing force directly into the Leader's back. He gave out a loud cry of pain, falling onto the hard ground, face downward. "Argh! My back!" Ryoma didn't remove his gaze once from the stunned henchmen who were protecting the bag. "Or is it a kidnapping?"

Laying on the ground, contorting in pain, Leader yelled, "Get him you idiots! Ah, fuck!" Henchman 1 blinked and then narrowed his eyes and made to charge at him when Ryoma, without looking down, suddenly pointed his racket at Leader's neck. "I'll crush his neck too." he quietly threaten. Henchman 1 stopped in his tracks, hesitating. Ryoma smirked. Leader was pissed off, "He's just a kid! He won't-"  
>He suddenly stopped, his mouth full of dirt; Ryoma had stepped onto the back of his head with one foot. "Shut up." He kept his focus still on the gawking underlings.<p>

That was the last straw for the Leader whose pride was already terribly damaged as may be his back. He lifted his head up slightly underneath Ryoma's shoe, spluttering out dirt, "Fuck! Kill him-"  
>Ryoma brought his foot down powerfully, smashing the man's face down hard into the dirt. Leader did not speak anymore.<p>

The two other men had witnessed all this in disbelief. Who _was _this boy? Ryoma now took a couple of leisurely steps towards them. "That bag… human trafficking?" He cocked his head. It was unnerving. How this boy had done all of that and yet, he seemed unfazed.

Henchman 1 swallowed, bared his teeth and then charged at him, yelling.

Ryoma took him out quickly with a few shots with his racket, using two tennis balls he had in his pocket. And then like Leader, Henchman 2 too, did not speak anymore.

In the meanwhile, Henchman 2 had taken this short opportunity to run away. Ryoma could see the large bag thumping against the broad back of the man. He carefully aimed a tennis shot at the man's legs, causing him to trip and fall face first, releasing his grip as he did so. The bag landed on the ground with a heavy impact. The shape unfolded oddly. The man looked back over his shoulder and saw with widened eyes, the approaching figure of Ryoma. He glanced at the large bag that lay motionless and then back at Ryoma and making his decision, he pushed himself up and sprinted off. Ryoma let him go; he had no more tennis balls and besides, what he wanted all along was finally his.

He arrived in front of the bag.  
>Finally.<br>He would be able to see what exactly was inside.

Ryoma squatted down and first inspected the bag, staring at it. It was rather large and had a strange shape. To what did this shape belong to, that those three men were so fixated on. Ryoma reached forward with both hands to grab hold of the end. One hand loosen the rope while the other hand held the gathered canvas material. The thin rope fell to the ground limply. And now the only thing that kept the bag closed was Ryoma's two hands holding onto the bunch of fabric at the top.  
>For the most slightest of moments, Ryoma hesitated.<p>

And then Ryoma blinked his piercing his green eyes and released his grip, allowing the canvas material to fall down.

It was a girl.

Around his age but that was where any similarities ended because she could not be any more different from Ryoma.

She was sitting in the bag, knees bent under her, feet splayed out to the sides. She was so bent over that, Ryoma could only see the top of her head. She had her face buried in her hands and did not move. Incredibly long braids trailed down from her head and pooled onto her lap and ground. Ryoma noticed that she was wearing a thin dress, very ill-suited for the quickly turning cold fall weather. It was tattered and worn and yet still shown white in the darkness. The only close to normal thing about the girl was the barely hanging-on vividly red scarf around her neck. It hanged limply around there, the end drooping. She was very slender and looked even smaller, curled over like that.

Ryoma took all of this in and wondered why was this girl so special, why did those three men go to such lengths for her?

He was so curious that he did not think about his next actions. He reached forward with one hand, and lightly placed it under her chin. He could feel her turn rigid. And then he lifted her head up, causing her to drop her hands slightly.

Her wide bright brown eyes stared up into his green eyes in shock.

A fragile feminine pale small face with watery eyes much too big, framed by long bangs, was all he was able to take in before she sharply turned her head away from his hand, flinching from his touch. And then she quickly dropped her head back down, avoiding his glance. He had seen a large bruise on her cheek, an ugly dark color that contrasted sharply with her pale skin. However that wasn't the most important thing.

When she had turned her head away from him, that movement caused the scarf to slip and fall from her neck. Ryoma's attention was momentarily distracted by the red and he looked down at the fallen scarf. And then he lifted his head and saw.

He saw the deathly black collar that wrapped around her neck.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the Prince of Tennis. His eyes widened in excitement.

And everything made sense.

Who that girl was, why those men were kidnapping her, why they acted as they did and why…

Ryoma quickly made up his mind.

He leaned forward, dropping onto his knees and hands to get even closer to her. She did not visibly respond, but continued to remain in that bent over position, staring at the ground. He reached over with one hand towards her exposed neck. He saw her shoulders turn rigid, but that did not stop Ryoma. He continued reaching forward with his right hand….

And wrapped his fingers around her slender collared neck. It felt cool to the touch.

The girl jerked a little but still did not look up. She seemed frozen. And then she started shuddering a little, her small shoulders quivering under the thin dress material.

Ryoma couldn't stop now; he reached over with his other hand and also wrapped it around her neck, covering the black collar.

At that point, the girl slammed her hands down onto the ground, trying to hold herself her up; her body was shaking so much. A very faint barely audible noise could be heard.

Throughout it all, Ryoma had unconsciously leaned closer and closer to the girl and reflexively, somewhat tightened his grip around her neck.

And then the girl looked up. Straight into his eyes.

He felt his heart beat unnaturally fast.

Her eyes were enormous, tears streaking down her face in rapid succession. The light plopping noise of the tears splattering on the ground was extremely unnerving. Because they were the only sounds, illustrating the girl's intense emotions.

She was crying out in extreme pain. Her mouth was open and moving but no sound came out. Her chest was heaving as she tried to gasp for air. Her arms were shaking, as she tried to keep herself up. Her expression was so pained. Her eyes were so overfilling with tears that it was wonder that she still managed to stare into Ryoma's eyes through all of the teardrops.

He was so shocked and taken aback at her expression that he froze for a split second. She choked out something inaudible, pleading with her watery eyes.

And then Ryoma let go.

He released his grip around her neck, leaning away from her, falling back onto his haunches.

Still staring into his eyes, she fell forward.

She collapsed onto the ground, falling onto Ryoma, the side of her head resting on his lap. Stunned at the turn of events, he looked down at her and saw her wet eyes now closed shut. He stared down at the unconscious girl for some time, trying to collect his scattered thoughts. And then he felt but not hear her mutter something in her unconscious state.

Ryoma let out a breath that he did not realize he had been holding in all along.

He lifted up his finger and lightly trailed the black collar on her neck, feeling the smooth satiny fabric.

That night, a very faint satisfied expression reflected in those bright green orbs.

…...

Ojisan made his way back from the park bathroom, hurrying a bit because of the chilly weather. He glanced at his watch and seeing that it was 2am, decided to check on his young master. Ojisan headed towards the tennis court and saw that it was empty. He raised his eyebrows and then turned around to go back. His eyes happened to spy a few stray balls laying on a nearby field. Tsk-ing lightly, Ojisan went over to pick them; his young master was still as lazy as ever. But as he picked up the third tennis ball, he spied a tennis racket lying among the tall grass. Ojisan blinked in complete surprise. What was Ryoma's precious tennis racket doing here alone? He picked it up carefully and eyebrows furrowed in confusion, returned to the car. As he headed down the pathway, he saw the light turned on in the car. Ojisan smiled; they could finally go home now. He went over to the backseat door. Holding onto the handle, he opened up the door:

"Your tennis racket was-Young Master!" Ojisan's eyes and mouth widened in a mixture of horrified, shock, and amazement at the scene before him:  
>Ryoma sitting coolly, with a young sleeping girl on his lap, her head resting against his chest. The Prince of Tennis smirked.<p>

"Young Master, why do you have a Pet ? ! "


	2. Chapter 2

~CHAPTER TWO~

by

_*PreciousCherryBlossums*_

* * *

><p>Ojisan shot a sneaky look up at his rearview mirror.<p>

Still.

His eyes took in the same sight as before.

His young master with a girl.

And not just any girl.

His hands gripped the steering wheel as he tried to refocus his attention on the dark road ahead.

Ryoma had quietly placed the girl onto the open seats to the left of him so that she was lying across the seats on her side. As soon as he retracted his hands, she moved her head slightly so that it was resting against his thigh. Ryoma narrowed his eyes suspiciously but let her the unconscious girl be.

He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms and with that familiar stoic expression on his face, closed his eyes as well. The Prince appeared to be in deep thought.

After a couple of moments of silent driving in the dark car, Ojisan cleared his throat. He began hesitantly:

"A-hem. Young Master…?" He had to proceed carefully. There was no telling how Ryoma may act. Ojisan waited.

There was no response from the backseat.

"…..About the young lady….. The…" Here Ojisan's determination to go forth with this confrontation wavered. This was a very serious topic and the tense atmosphere in the car was making Ojisan nervous as he tried to multi-task talking with nighttime driving.

Oji turned into the long driveway of the Echizen Residence.

No, this was Ryoma and who, in his opinion, was still a young boy, and one he had to look after. He had to take the plunge. Ojisan parked the car and then turned around:

"If you are not already her Master then I think-!"

The older man fell silent.

Ryoma's head was nodding off, completely unaware that Ojisan had said anything at all. Apparently all the tension was one-sided. One particularly strong nod caused the Prince to jolt awake.

Ryoma looked up.

"Oh. We're back."

He turned and picked up unconscious girl who did not respond to being moved. He opened the door and exited the car, carrying the slender girl easily in his arms. The door then shut close with a muted click.

Ojisan remained sitting in his driver seat, back still twisted, looking blankly at the now vacant backseat. Ojisan was at a loss.

Surely…._surely_ his Young Master was not-

The door opened and Ojisan looked up in surprise and sudden renewed expectation and hope.

Ryoma stuck his head back in:

"Thanks for the ride."

And shut the door once again, leaving the now resigned Ojisan sighing alone in the car.

His young master did not know what he had gotten himself into.

…

As it was about 3:30am, there was dead silence in the Echizen Residence. Except for the steady steps belonging to a lone boy which echoed in the expansive building.

The footsteps stopped in front of a door, one of many which lined this particular hallway.

The door swung open:

"Hey!"

His voice woke up the girl on the bed who sat up with a start. Looking over with bed hair, her eyes widened with surprise at the figure standing in the doorway:

"Ryo-! Kya-ak!" She fell off of the bed, trying to get up to greet him properly. As she lay on the ground, tangled up in the bed covers, she looked up toward him, "Ah! Who is that-"

"First aid kit and clothes."

"I-"

"15 minutes. My other room."

And then exited without another word.

Bewildered, Tomoka remained on the floor, staring at the empty doorway. Was that a-

Ryoma's head suddenly popped back in view in the doorway, startling her. He eyed her disheveled appearance with a discerning eye.

"Ryo-"

"The smallest size."

And then he was gone.

…

…

Tomoka stared blatantly at the pair sitting in front of her, mouth slightly open, eyes wide and disbelieving.

"Hey! Do it properly!"

Tomoka jumped with a start off the ottoman she was sitting on and hurriedly averted her eyes back down to the cut on the arm she was treating. The cotton ball damp with alcohol, gently dabbed the injury. Tomoka tried to concentrate on cleaning the cut, but before long, she was peeking up again.

Ryoma was sitting on the large high-back plush chair in front of her, a somewhat dark expression on his face. His back was to the closed door. His chin propped up on his palm, bent elbow on the armrest, he glared at the girl not applying first aid properly but then looked off to the side again, seemingly lost in thought.  
>And curled up, sleeping in his lap, head resting against his chest, was a girl. She had her arms wrapped loosely around Ryoma's neck.<p>

Tomoka could barely contain her burning curiosity. This was the first time she had seen Ryoma so close to a female and she wondered who the heck she was. Did Ryoma pick her off the road? Was that she was so injured? Maybe Ryoma saved her from a group of thugs and she turned out to a runaway and so Ryoma, being the perfect kind boy he was, took pity on her and decided to take her in and-

As if Ryoma had read her rambling thoughts, he gave her a sideways warning look. Tomoka ducked her head hurriedly placed a bandage over the cut.

And no sooner had she stuck the adhesive onto her skin, Ryoma abruptly stood up, startling Tomoka.

He turned around and placed the sleeping girl down onto the chair he had just vacated. There was a couple seconds in which Ryoma did not move from bending over the girl; Tomoka craned her neck trying to see what he was doing but then Ryoma straightened up, which made Tomoka fumble to sit politely again. But when Ryoma moved away, Tomoka could see the slender girl curled up tight on her side, on the soft cushions, eyes shut.

He looked over his shoulder at Tomoka who sat up at attention: "Don't do anything weird and just get her to change clothes and sleep."

Tomoka nodded furiously, mouth pressed tightly together, tying to look the part of a housemaid's obedient daughter. But Ryoma only narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her obviously fake facade. But he turned away and walked past the occupied chair to the door.

"I-I'll take good care of her!" Tomoka called out over to him in an attempt to assuage any worries Ryoma may have. But Tomoka's words were not heard as he was already out of the door and gone.

Tomoka looked back down, thinking about how Ryoma was always so cool and suave.

"Ah!"

The girl was waking up now, eyes slowly blinking, her head slightly moving and body uncurling.

"Did I wake up you up? Sorry, I guess I was too loud. Ha ha. People are always saying that I'm too noisy."

The speed at which she sat up, eyes wide open, startled Tomoka.

"Should you be getting up that fast? Aren't you dizzy? I know I always get dizzy when I sit up that…"

The Pet gave a quick startled look at the rambling girl sitting across from her but then shot wide-eyed looks all around her. She stood up suddenly and looked around again in a panic. She wrapped her arms around her slender frame tightly, rubbing herself, as she surveyed the room.

"What's wrong? Are you cold? Oh! You're confused right? Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Tomoka! And this is place is owned by…."

Her words were unheard as the frightened girl slowly backed away from the approaching talkative girl.

"I was really surprised when he suddenly showed up like that. And especially with you too! I mean, you're really pretty and all but …."

Looking left and right and not seeing what she wanted to be seeing, the girl spun around and noticing the open door, dashed towards it.

"He probably knew that I don't need beauty sleep so that's why he woke me up specifically. Hey! Where are you going? Stop! You can't go! Are you listening to me?"

The girl paused at the doorway, cautious of her unknown surroundings. Leaning out slightly, she looked out and turned her head back and forth quickly and saw that she was in a long hallway. It was extremely dark either way but if she peered closely down to the right, she could just barely make out a door at the very end of the dark hallway.

"Hey running isn't good when you're injured like that! It's dangerous! And you shouldn't leave because he said that-"

One hand on the doorway, the Pet took an eager step towards the right but her body suddenly turned rigid. There was a grasp on her wrist; the sensation caused her breath to be caught in her throat. Wide-eyed, the girl stiffly turned her head saw Tomoka holding her back. The talkative girl shook her head:

" 'You can't go out.' "

The Pet stepped back into the room.

Tomoka blinked in surprised confusion at the abrupt change in the girl. "Oh, well uh, c'mon then. Let's go back in." One hand still loosely holding on the strange girl's wrist, Tomoka led the now docile girl back to the chairs.

"Here, you sit right there." She was still a little bit confused by the girl's personality change but let go of her to walk over to the bag that she had brought due to Ryoma's orders.

The girl sat down on the chair she had previously vacated.

Tomoka placed the bag onto the ottoman between them before sitting down herself on the couch opposite of the stranger girl.

"I wasn't sure what Ryoma meant and I had to make a decision really quickly, so I only grabbed these."

Tomoka reached in the bag and took out a pair of pink pajamas. "But I'm pretty smart aren't I? Teehee." Tomoka smiled self-satisfied. "I mean, you can't sleep in those dirty clothes, right?"

The girl did not reply.

Tomoka misunderstanding her silence as shyness said kindly, "I don't know what happened to you but first of all you should," she reached over and placed a comforting hand on her knee, "change into these pajamas." Tomoka smiled brightly before leaning back in her chair.

Looking downward at the ground but not really looking at it, the girl began undressing herself silently.

Sitting across from her, Tomoka as forward as she was, took this opportunity to scrutinize and stare at the random girl Ryoma had brought.

"Wow~ I didn't get a good look at you before but you're _really_ pretty."

The girl did not respond; she slipped the dress over her head.

Tomoka noticed something, "Hey, is that a choker around your neck? It looks really pretty, can I-" Recoiling, the girl abruptly slapped Tomoka's outreached hand away. The girl shook her head furiously and then realizing what she had done, stopped. She bit her lip and looked at Tomoka apologetically and shamefully.

But the latter was unaffected and breezily dismissed the girl's odd actions, "Oh, I get sensitive about my personal belongings too. But not as much as Ryoma-kun, he's freaking anal about his possessions! But anyways how did you grow your hair to be so long? And don't think I'm weird or anything but _dang _you have a really nice body. No wonder Ryoma-kun said to get the smallest size. "

Seeing how the potentially awkward situation had passed, the girl continued dressing again. She dropped the ripped dress onto the floor and reached for the pajama bottoms and slid her feet through them. "I'm jealous, your legs are really long and slender…ohmigosh I know! You must be a model right? Wait, wait, no obviously you must be a maid like me! Amiright? Amiright? I knew it! "

Tomoka laughed triumphantly.

"Hey y'know, you're kinda quiet but it's okay, I'll talk enough for the both of us!" Getting carried away with her big mouth again, Tomoka leaned in, "Hey it seems you're staying here as well, so let's be friends! After all, us pretty girls need to stick together! I was getting a bit tired of being the only beautiful girl here because after all you must know how draining it is to be this amazing. I think I totally understand how Ryoma-kun must feel like all the time." Tomoka was lost in her own delusional world again where only her and her words exist. "Speaking of Ryoma-kun, you know it's pretty weird that we're in Ryoma's other room." She leaned in confidentially to the long-haired girl who was paying her attention to the pajamas.

"Actually this whole east wing is for Ryoma's personal use," Tomoka held up a hand and starting ticking off her fingers, "the private onsen, the indoor tennis court, the library and his two bedrooms. He keeps most of his stuff here but doesn't actually sleep here. Well, he does sometimes takes naps in that bed over there," Tomoka indicated with her head at a large white bed against the wall. "But he usually sleep in his private room," Tomoka leaned in even closer, dropping her voice, "it's the one at the very end of the hallway. No one's allowed in it, not even Ojisan, Ryoma's number one steward."

The girl stuck her arms though the long sleeves of the pink top and started buttoning it up mechanically.

Tomoka straightened her back, "I don't know why he has two rooms." She shrugged. "But anyways I'm really excited that a girl my age is working here too! Now we can have lots of fun together and protect the Prince from the hordes of crazy fangirls out there! They're always getting all up in Ryoma-kun's business and bothering him by like taking too many pictures, following him everywhere and talking too much! It really bothers Ryoma-kun. Gosh, don't they have any self-restraint?"

Done dressing herself, she sat there for a moment and then the long-haired girl hugged herself. She closing her eyes, trying to remember something.

Tomoka noticed her odd behavior and got off the ottoman she was standing on, ending her speech. "Are you cold, my friend? Am I keeping you up? Oh don't worry about me!" Tomoka smiled at her newly-formed pretty friend "You need a lot of rest." She placed an understanding hand on her shoulder. "Sleep on that bed over there." Sakuno's head snapped up, large brown eyes now open. Raising both arms over her head, Tomoka yawned widely, "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't worry I'll show you around." Without a word, the girl stood up and started heading over to the bed. But before she got under the covers, she stopped for a second to peek over her shoulder at Tomoka. She nodded her head ever so slightly and then quickly disappeared under the fluffy blankets. Tomoka laughed and shaking her head, exited the room thinking what an odd but cute girl her new friend was.

…..

…..

…..

"Ojisan." A muscle twitched in Ryoma's forehead. The older man was standing at attention by the Prince's chair in the living room, where every morning without fail at 8am the steward informs him of his schedule for the day. Ojisan shut the little notebook he had been reading out loud off of.

"Yes, Young Master?"

Ryoma closed his eyes, emitting a small sigh of exasperation. The side of his head was leaning against his right hand whose elbow was propped up on the armrest, his left hand's fingers drumming the other armrest agitatedly.

"I already knew what you just told me." His voice was level but there was a forced quality to it.

Ojisan nodded his head patiently waiting for him to continue, "Yes, Young Master."

Ryoma gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the extremely annoying sensation at the back of his head.

"They are mute. They are slaves. They obey their Masters."

Ojisan cringed slightly. He had tried to be a bit more tactful and delicate about the subject but he nodded again, "Um, yes Young Master."

Ryoma couldn't take it anymore; he slammed his hand down on the armrest, standing up abruptly. He jabbed an extremely accusing finger behind him, looking at Ojisan in the eye,

"But can you tell why the hell it keeps staring at me? !"

His loud outburst shocked everyone present, the maids who were currently cleaning the living and Oji who was at a loss for words.

Ryoma's condemning finger was directed at a long-haired girl who was peeping at him from behind a corner. Her eyes widened at being caught and ducked behind the wall, alarmed. Ryoma threw a pissed off look at the offending corner where he could still see her long braids. But before long, large brown eyes were sneaking a look again but quickly disappeared when they met a pair of glaring green eyes. Oji was quite amused at the sight because she was doing a very poor job at hiding for the passing-by maids, all stared curiously at her and pointed her out, wondering what a girl dressed in pink pajamas was doing here.

"It's been like all morning! What is wrong with it? !"

Ryoma was visibly irritated and Oji was beginning to get concerned, "Young Master, we should go-"

"What kind of fucking Pet-"

"*AHEM* ! Young Master!" Ojisan cleared his voice loudly. Ryoma stopped talking with a sullen expression; he flicked his eyes from the corner to his steward.

"Let's go somewhere more private to discuss the matter of your new personal maid." Ojisan raised his voice on the last couple of words. The females servants in the room, all exchanged glances and tittered animatedly amongst themselves.

Ryoma rolled his eyes but stood up to lead the way, walking out of the living room and over to a door. Ojisan immediately began following him but then slowed down, "Should we perhaps tell the girl to come too…?"

Without looking over his shoulder, as he walked out of the door, Ryoma snorted, "Don't even bother."

Ojisan raised an eyebrow. Then he turned his head and saw a certain brunette girl now hiding behind the chair Ryoma had sat in. When the girl had peered around the corner and saw that he was leaving the living room, she immediately rushed to get closer. Brown wide curious eyes peeked out, staring at the door that Ojisan was about to exit through as well. She happened to meet the older man's curious eyes and immediately ducked her head down.

Raising both eyebrows, Ojisan turned to follow the Prince to Tennis, bemusing her antics. This Pet was not a typical Pet.

Now following Ryoma up the staircase, Ojisan noticed once again out of the corner of his eye, a little brown head at the foot of the stairway, doing a very poor job of hiding behind the railway. Ojisan wrote something down neatly in his notebook before entering the room.

….

Ryoma flopped down in the same chair he had occupied last night, or rather earlier that morning. He kicked the ottoman off to the side. As usual, Ojisan stood in front of him, standing a bit off to the side, holding his silver notebook. Ryoma's eyes were closed as he sat there, eyebrows slightly furrowed. They remained like that in silence for a little bit, Ojisan waiting. When it became clear that Ryoma was not going to move from his position anytime soon, Ojisan opened up the notebook and started writing in it. Minutes passed and the only sounds in the room was the steady scribbling of writing and the very faint chirping of a bird outside the window.

Then a pair of hands with pale slender fingers reached out and gripped the top of the back of the chair. Gradually the top of a head appeared above the chair and pair of large brown eyes peeked from behind the chair that Ryoma was currently sitting in. Ojisan was startled at her sudden appearance because just a few moments ago, he spotted her near the doorway, spying on them. He paused writing to observe the curious scene in front of him, much like Tomoka had last night.

The girl stared down at Ryoma, at the top of his black hair for a couple of seconds but then he shifted his head and she instantly ducked back down.

But Ryoma did not open his eyes; he remained sitting in his chair, apparently unaware of the gawking girl.

Ojisan stifled a laugh behind his notebook. Truly, this Pet was not just a normal Pet.

Now the small brown head was moving along the side of Ryoma's chair; she was crawling on her hands and knees somewhat stealthily. The soft brown head stopped by his armrest where his arm was placed. It didn't move for a moment and Ojisan lowered his notebook to see more clearly what was going to happen.

Then slowly a small hand reached up into the air, just barely above the armrest's height. Slim fingers landed on the very edge of the top of the armrest, near the elbow of Ryoma's jacket sleeve. The fingers paused momentarily and then little by little danced gently, along the length of his sleeve, closer and closer to the Prince's bare hand which rested loosely on the corner of the armrest.

The Pet's eyes was shut tight in concentration, biting her lip. She was on her knees, bent over, trying to make herself as small a ball as possible with her right arm stretched up high above her. The side of her head pressed up against the chair, her fingers tingled for she could feel she was extremely close to finally achieving her goal. She scrunched her eyes even tighter together, when she made the decisive move.

But her fingers only felt the armrest.

She opened her eyes in confusion. She moved her fingers around a bit more boldly, wandering them around looking for the hand that she was sure was there.

Suddenly she felt a shadow loom over her and she froze. She cautiously lowered her hand back down and then sneaked a tiny look upward.

Two glaring flashing green eyes stared down at her over the armrest: "_Get away from me." _

Her eyes widened into huge round brown circle at being caught. With a silent yelp, she fell backwards on her butt and immediately scooted away from the chair like a crab at full speed. It wasn't until she hit the wall with her back with a loud thud, that she stopped. She met his pissed-off glare and dropped her head down, her bangs heading her face.

Ryoma turned his eyes away from her to Ojisan, "Don't laugh! She's been like all morning!"

Ojisan tipped his head apologetically, using his notebook to hide his smile.

"Ah yes, she does appear to be quite interested in you, Young Master."

Ryoma scowled, crossing his arms and leaning back further in the cushioned back of the high-back chair.

It was true.

Ever since Ryoma stepped out of his room this morning, things had been a little strange. As he walked down the hallway, he could sense something odd and when he turned his head, he saw the door of his other room close shut. And when he stepped out of the bathroom, running his fingers through his hair, about to head down for breakfast, he thought he saw a shadow around the corner even though he specifically ordered that no servant was allowed in his west wing without his expressed permission. But when he saw that there was a fallen hair brush on the floor, his suspicious was raised. And during breakfast, as he sat at the dining table, he didn't really have much of an appetitive. For some inexplicable reason he felt like he was in a horror movie, with the suspense climaxing. No longer able to take the oppressive feeling, he lifted the table cloth, expecting to see some horrendous ghost staring straight at him.

There was nothing there and the nearby cooks and servants all thought Ryoma was acting very odd. But the fallen over chair on the other side of the table and the glimpse of two long brown rope-like things whipping around the corner was enough for Ryoma.

In an accusing tone, Ryoma said, "This is not what I thought a Pet would be like."

Oji cleared his throat, "From what you told me about last night, it does appear that she is not a normal Pet." He riffled through the pages of his silver notebook. "I do have my suspicions, that she in fact maybe-"

"Don't touch me!"

She retracted her outreaching hand immediately, clasping both hands close to her chest.

Oji blinked; she was indeed a persistent one, she was no longer by the wall but was now standing next to Ryoma. But after being barked at by him, her head was down with an air of a chastised misbehaving puppy.

Ryoma scowled at her and then looked at Ojisan, jabbing a finger toward her, "It's worse than the stalkers!"

He crossed his arms again, looking away from her, "Go back to the wall." She instantly spun around and was about to leave when Ojisan reached out, touching her lightly on the arm:

"No, sit here," he indicated the ottoman next to her, near Ryoma.

She immediately sat down on it.

"Oji!" Ryoma complained loudly. "No, go over there."

She quickly stood up.

Ojisan stopped her from leaving by placing a hand on her arm again, "No, please sit here." She sat back down.

"It's just going to try to touch me again!"

"_She_ is who we are discussing about right now and should be present." Ojisan rebuked.

Ryoma eyed her suspiciously while the girl avoided his gaze, looking down, clasping her hands together in her lap.

Ojisan gave her a pitying look, "Since you're Young Master's Pet, you have to live here. I will inform the others that she is Young Master's new personal maid though I think Miss Tomoka is already doing that…" He turned a page in the notebook, "Obviously, it is better if as few people as possible know that she is a Pet. It would be prudent to not cause any unnecessary trouble. Also I will make preparations for her room in the servants' wing-"

"No. It's staying _here_."

Ojisan looked up in surprise, "In Young Master's other room?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Ojisan raised an eyebrow at the Prince's short temper being even shorter today. While half-listening to Ojisan's words, he was still eyeing the girl suspiciously.

"Hey, why did it obey your words anyways? It's _my_ Pet."

"Ah, you noticed it as well, Young Master?"

Ojisan closed shut his notebook and looked at Ryoma, intently, "I suspect it is because," the older man leaned in and dropped his voice a bit:

"she is a Pure Pet."

Ryoma blinked.

"A what?"

Ojisan coughed lightly, and straightened back up; obviously his words did not have the dramatic effect he was hoping for.

"I mean, I do not think that she ever had a Master before."

The girl was sitting quietly on the ottoman, fiddling with the ends of her pajama top. She tried to stealthily sneak a look toward Ryoma but then hurriedly turned away again, lest she incurred his wrath again.

"I am quite certain that you are her first Master."

Ojisan tapped the notebook thoughtfully against his chin, "Yes…that may explain why she appears so uh, fixated with you."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow at the Pet whose fingers in her lap, were restless like they were itching to be touching something or rather someone.

"_Don't._" He warned.

Her fingers stopped moving.

"In fact, she may be actually an extremely rare kind of Pure Pet." Ojisan continued thoughtfully, "This is extremely farfetched and I sincerely hope this is not the case but it may be that she has ever been directly touched before."

At this, Ryoma's attention was piqued, "What?"

Ojisan clarified, "Based on what you told me, I suspect that is why those kidnappers were wearing gloves. Because as you know, if one touches a Pet's collar, he or she will become the Pet's Master."

Ryoma remembered last night's events.

Ojisan sighed. "Pets may be rare but for someone to purposefully keep them Pure and thus more valuable by forbidding direct contact is just terrible. It's a mystery what kind of life she had been living." He noted something down in the notebook. "Since she has no prior experience with Masters, she has built no resistance to commands. Over time most Pets are able to somewhat resist their Master's words but since you're her first, she has to listen to you completely. "

Ojisan gave a pitying look at the girl, "Being so Pure, that's why even if people besides her Master touch her and give a command, she has to obey it."

Ryoma sat there, digesting this information for a bit before speaking up, "You mean to say that I finally have a Pet and it's _broken_?"

Ojisan was confused. "Young Master? Broken? No, I mean she-"

The Prince held up two fingers.

"She doesn't just listen to my commands but to other people's too? What kind of Pet is that?" He ticked off a finger.

"It stalks me like a creepy fan and I don't need anymore of those." He put down the remaining finger and after giving a dissatisfied look at the girl, shook his head.  
>He leaned back, closing his eyes, sighing loudly.<p>

"Why did I become its Master? It's just more trouble for me…" Ryoma's grumbling trailed off when he suddenly yawned.

The girl was watching him quietly and was startled when she suddenly felt someone's breath next to her ear. Ojisan said in a low voice, gently, "Please do not take Young Master's words to heart. He's only like this because he didn't get enough sleep. Young Master gets quite grumpy."

Without opening his eyes, Ryoma said, "I heard that."

The older man smiled and stood up. He lightly tapped the girl on top of her head with his notebook, "Don't be afraid of him."

He turned towards Ryoma and gave a short bow, "Young Master should get some more rest so he will be in a better mood."

And then, lightly chortling, Ojisan left the room.

The two sat there in silence.

The girl peeked a look at him and was startled to see his green-gold eyes open and looking directly back at her.

"Oji's right. The only reason I did that last night was because I was half-asleep. Otherwise I definitely would not have become the Master of such a weak and helpless Pet."

She continued staring back at him with her wide solemn eyes.

He leaned forward.

"To me, you're just a Pet and nothing more."

….

He stood up and headed toward the large white bed. She followed him with her eyes, turning her head, until she was looking over her shoulder at him.

Ryoma got under the covers and laid down. From her position, she could only see a large white mound on the bed.

"You better not touch me when I'm sleeping."

Even though he couldn't see her, she nodded anyways.

Within a couple of short moments, she heard very even breathing in that large quiet room.

She stepped carefully and quietly over to the bed, and stopped next to it. She stared down at the profile of his sleeping expression because he was sleeping on his side. He was in a very deep sleep; he must have been very tired. She crouched down on the floor next to him, holding her knees tightly to herself, still looking up at him.

She focused her eyes on his sleeping face and etched it all into her mind. His black hair with tints of dark green. His long eyelashes. His smooth skin. His handsome face.

Her fingers tingled with want and she tightened her grasp around her legs, resisting the urge.

She closed her eyes, and rested her chin on top of her knees.

His warm touch.

She tried to recall once more the feeling of being so close to him that night and what the sensation was like.

She turned her head slightly so her cheek was resting against her knees. As she drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of her Master and how warm and comfortable he had felt when he had held her.


End file.
